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Mechani
Succeeded by the Solani Commonwealth in 2081. Geography A somewhat large nation, the Union lies north of Tekkia's western territories and is directly west of Solaria's western coast. A small but highly useful coastline provides the MU with access to Kerbin's seas while its western border is comprised nearly entirely of inland rivers and canals, allowing for effective and quick trade and transport inland on the continent. The MU's biomes range from the semiarid southern border region to the colder temperate forests and mountains of its northern reaches. As of the mid-late 2060s onwards, Mechani citizens and their descendants also inhabit colonies on the worlds of Duna and Laythe, far beyond the atmosphere of Kerbin. Free State of Swieze To the direct northwest of the MU lies its closely-allied sister nation, the Free State of Swieze. Founded early in Mechani's history by a pacifistic merchant guild, Swieze is a highly wealthy and sophisticated mini-state that despite being independent, is all but Mechani bar its name and government. Known for its secretive banking system, pro-corporate laws, and rich culture and hospitality, the nation is neutral on the world stage, something it is able to maintain due to the MU providing it a dedicated Quick Reaction Force battalion for defense and aid to local law enforcement in cases of extreme crisis. The Volunai Protectorate Following the Horde Wars of the early 2060s and Solaria's victory over the Green Horde's governing forces, Mechani peacekeepers landed on former Green territory opposite the Union's coastline across the Kolusian Sea. There, they discovered the Volunai, an ethnically indigenous people who had been oppressed by the Green Horde and were in dire need of geopolitical rebuilding. As such the Volunai Protectorate was established as an independent territory under Mechani military protection and economic support as the people of the V.P. worked to rebuild following the major war. Sadly, the V.P. eventually collapsed following lagging economic growth, and Mechani peacekeepers evacuated the civilians willing and/or able to emigrate prior to full societal collapse. Duna Colony - New Carthage Mechani's colony city on Duna, New Carthage, is home to several hundred Mechani citizens working primarily in research fields, though also in domestic manufacturing efforts and at the city's famous research university, the only such off-Kerbin higher learning center until Joolian Federation-funded programs later on. Its sister colony city is Solaria's Duna Prime, located nearby and highly interconnected with NC. Laythe Mechani citizens are a major demographic and ethnic group within the multinational Joolian Federation's capital world of Laythe, which also happens to be the largest off-world colony in the Kerbol system as of the late 2070s-2080. History Prior to 2012, the region of Kerbin that the Union rests in was fraught with turmoil and despair. Following the Great Wars of the past, the former nations and city-states of the region had fragmented and scattered, utterly ceasing to exist. Local conflicts came and went, with warlords and criminal organizations dominating the landscape for some time. However, in the early 2000s, this began to change. 2010s: Triumvirate and First Union In the late 2000s/early 2010s, three major groups rose to power in the region: # The Mechanikan Populist Front (MPF) # The Neo-Unionist Alliance (NUA) # The Social-Democratic Front (SDF) These three power blocs governed multiple surviving city-states in the region and the territories within their spheres of influence. However, over time, the leaders of the MPF, NUA, and SDF came to see the existential risks to their respective peoples' welfare, and came together in 2012 to forge a new constitution and declare a new, unified state, with an emphasis of not repeating the mistakes of the past, and securing a bright future for all. This was not without struggle, however, and the First Union's early years were spent dealing with small uprisings and terror attacks from local ethnic-supremacist groups and radical militias who had secured old, pre-Wars military hardware. However, following the early struggles of the nation, its economy boomed with proper exports and manufacturing being supported again, and with the forward-thinking, social-democratic bent of the nation's political scene, the Union's populace boomed with immigration of scientists, academics, and intelligentsia from around the world. Additionally, the government saw fit to establish its capital, New Columbia, as a center of learning and research, and as such founded the prestigious University of Mechani there, with the city and college becoming highly intertwined over the years. Additionally, as a precaution against further internal strife, the military industrial complex of the country was fully nationalized to maintain government control of arms production and attempt to reduce corruption in military procurement. 2046: Second Union/Modern MU In the early 2040s, multiple scandals in the MU's military and government led to multiple inquiries on the behalf of the legislature into the original executive branch of the nation (the Triumvirate). This led to the complete reorganization of the Executive Branch into the office of the Prime Minister, and much more robust checks and balances were put in place by the legislature and judicial branches of the government on each other and the Executive. Additionally, reforms were enacted to bring in new business to the country, partially de-nationalize the military industry of the nation (allowing private defense businesses but not letting go of previously-existing ones that had been taken over decades before), and enacted a mandatory service law where all citizens of military age, regardless of gender, serve two years in the military, albeit mostly in non-combat roles unless selected for such tasks. Other political shifts in this period include free higher education for any who finish their 2 years of service, in addition to reforms instituting a Universal Basic Income system and a re-strengthening of the social systems and safety nets of the country. Recent Developments: More recently, the MU has served as a founding member of the Kolus Allied Treaty Organization (KATO), and participated in multiple police actions on the global stage- ranging from the blockading and enforcement of a no-fly-zone on the rogue state of Granderia to the Cold War of the early 2050s, to the more recent NS-5 Crisis, where the MU MoD displayed the nation's power through a 'warning shot' orbital bombardment of the Sea of Baskay. The MU seeks diplomatic ties and peace with most of the nations on Kerbin, and has strengthened its ties with its neighbor to the East, Solaria. In 2056 the Union embarked on a national, multi-generational space colonization effort named the Exodus Project, where much of the nation's infrastructure, populace, industry, and government have all been mobilized to work on a mass emigration to Duna and worlds beyond in partnership with Mechani's closest ally of Solaria, whose populace is seeking a return to the stars from whence they came. The first stage of this program, the launch and flight of the MCS Exodus Dawn, concluded in late 2056, roughly 4 months after the completion of the ship and its launch from LKO. In late 2050s/early 2060s, Mechani was one of the founding members of the Joolian Coalition State in deep space, and has gone on to be elected as the lead member state for the Coalition, referred to as the "Head Honcho". In a similar timeframe, Mechani forces supplied arms and military support to the Zokesian people in their fight for freedom from the Sanctum Sovereignty, and have enjoyed peaceful relations with modern Zokesia in the aftermath of that conflict and its resolution. In the 2070s, the Union established free-trade deals with Solaria and Swieze, remained active in international relations, and concluded its time as the lead state of the JCS, which shortly thereafter reformed into the more federalized Joolian Federation (with Mechani diplomats helping orchestrate the move and reorganization). In 2079-80, the Union saw the collapse of New Grestin and several of former NG's allies in Kafrica, the war over Krome that led to said collapse, major elections bringing new leadership to the Union, and the rise of a new bloc of fascist-style dictatorships in the planet's northern reaches. The more things change, the more they stay the same... In 2080 the recently formed authoritarian state of Medwedia began the first major global war in decades following the slightly more limited Kafrican War. The rogue state and it's handful of allies quickly aggravated or attacked members of nearly all major international alliances and pacts, and within that, the MDP portion of KATO was invoked following a botched missile attack on the Solari aircraft carrier SDFN Consensus ''(during which there were Mechani citizens and military personnel aboard). Thus began the first great military adventure of the Union... Politics The MU's government is operated on strong social-democratic policies and is composed of 3 branches: # Judiciary, in the form of the Mechani Supreme Court and federal courts. # Legislature, in the form of the Mechani House and Senate, and state governments. # Executive, in the form of the Prime Minister's Office. These 3 branches have checks and balances on each other and are able to prevent power grabs from any one branch from easily succeeding. Additionally, the MU has strict rules and regulations on political donations, and strong anti-corruption laws, with harsh and swift enforcement. Voting is done for legislators via a ranked-choice system, and judges are appointed by the PM's administration and approved by the Senate. The PM is the head official appointed by the leading party or coalition of parties in the legislature, though a public confirmation vote is carried out. State governments have some specifically-unique rights, but are severely limited in comparison to the Federal government. As of the 2050s, the Prime Minister (serving a 2nd 5-year term) is Bernard Kerman, an older social-democratic populist whose governing style has proven to be one of compassionate pragmatism. In 2079, due to a political crisis in the parliament and the lack of a PM, a special election was held to take effect in 2080 - the 3 old, major parties now challenged by several newer political parties: # New Frontier Party (NFP) - Mostly made of colonists and technophiles, it has gained a following in recent years as the Union's colonist population offworld has boomed and civilian technology has rapidly advanced into new areas. They have radically progressive social policy goals and moderate economic policies. # Mechanikan Legion - radical right-wing party bolstered in recent years by international tensions and a slowing down of the country's growth. Ultranationalists with a xenophobic and hyper-conservative bent, though oddly also highly interventionist. Favors right-wing social and economic policy with centre-right military policy. # Liberty - left-wing progressive party. Favoring left-wing progressive social policy and left-leaning economic policy, Liberty Party members are highly diverse and often quite young, and much like their opposing counterparts in the NML, highly dissatisfied with the nation's political status quo. Ultimately, the parties of Liberty, the NUA, and the New Frontier Party formed a governing coalition after all 3 made gains in the election of 2079-80, and inducted a new PM and Deputy PM: Naomi Yanesson, a young legislator with high technical aptitude and a focus on pragmatic progressive policy, and Col. Jim "Bubba" Jonsson, a former Mechani special forces operator and veteran of the Zeke-Sovie War's covert and overt ops undertaken by the Union against the former Sanctum Sovereignty. Military of the Union: The Mechani Ministry of Defense is the nation's controlling body for its armed forces, with the individual branches of the military being: Mechani Union Air Force (MUAF): The Union's Air Force is well-funded and is one of the largest branches behind the Army. Charged with defense of the nation's airspace and aiding allies of the MU in the skies over Kerbin, the Air Force fields a variety of aircraft, including the A-131 Incubus ground attack jet, Terminator and Jaeger UCAVs, F-17A Seraph air superiority fighter, F-31 Beowulf NGSF (next-gen stealth fighter), B-80 LSRB stealth bomber, and the HSV-01 Mamba hypersonic strike vehicle. Additionally, the Air Force and Army jointly use the 'Hawk' tilt-jet VTOL manufactured by Mechani Aerospace Systems for reconnaissance and the TD-7274 'Vanguard' multi-thruster VTOL for infantry transport and light CAS roles. With the Union's move towards space colonization in the mid-late 2050s, the MUAF has begun developing and testing multiple experimental 'exofighter' SSTO designs to supplement and even potentially replace some of its existing arsenal of fighters and bombers. The first two exofighters to result from this program are the MU F/X-SATO ''Fenris and F/X-SDF Shiv aerospacecraft, each a high-grade, agile exofighter design with an advanced crew escape system. In recent years there has been much quiet development of new weapons systems and craft for use by the MU, but much of it has remained under wraps. Mechani Union Army (MA): The Union's Army is its largest branch, and consists of nearly the entire population during their 2 years of mandatory service, though roughly only 20% of the citizenry stay in once their service is done. Infantry Mechani infantry are equipped with the latest in personal body armor and small-arms tech, ranging from light powered exoskeleton systems, advanced composite armor, and advanced squad comms systems. In 2080, the Army's old rifles were intended to be replaced in frontline service by the caseless MMI CTR-80K rifle (shown off to the side) in frontline service while the older models would remain in inventory for use by various specialized units and training groups/law enforcement- however, this plan was changed by the events of the conflict with Medwedia and the 2079-2080 elections results, with the Von Gunnes Arms VGA-81 L.A.W. and the CTR-80K being adopted and the previous weapons being put in reservist use or scrapped/stored. Vehicles The Army fields a collection of modern, high-tech mechanized and motorized units in the defense of the Union and her allies abroad. For armor, the MBT-X 'Tigris' series MBTs are the heavy armor of choice, while the APC/IFV role is filled by the MMI K-IFV Block II, with several variants. For light reconnaissance, the Union fields the FAV-1A3 'Honey Badger' Fast Attack Vehicle (armored scout car). For Army Aviation, the Union has the 'Hawk' VTOL in a light CAS/recon role while it uses the 'Vanguard' VTOL for atmospheric infantry transport on Kerbin and Laythe. By the 2080s, the MBT-3 Tigris III was in service, alongside other vehicles such as the Corvus light tank, Apophis SPAAG/mobile SAM, and the KitKat 79 UP (Up-Armored) light IFV. Mechani Union Navy (MUN): The Navy is in charge of both aquatic operations and space warship operations (alongside the Air Force and Aerospace Office). Aquatic Vehicles The Navy fields a small wet-navy fleet of littoral combat ships, subs, maritime aircraft, and frigates to defend the coastal territory of the nation. Space Warships The Union has designs for many orbital vessels of war, but as of late is working towards re-categorizing its various designs and 'trimming the fat' from its force structure. The current fleet is based out of a orbital dock purchased from Consolidated Tekkia, as well as a planned dock over New Carthage and docks in Joolian Federation space. In terms of ships, the older S/X and N/X-series warships from Mechani Military Systems are the mainstay of the fleet, though newer, multi-firm 'ANX' or 'AX'-series warships are the next generation of Mechani power projection in space, and are currently under development or in early use. Within this, the Union fields vessels ranging from small, single-occupant aggressor craft to large capital ships, though with tightening budgets in recent years the bulk of the fleet is frigates and light destroyers supplemented by fightercraft. Union Spaceflight: The Union had only 2 operational spaceflight programs outside of the Navy's scope for a long time, including the Project Pathfinder mission (manned Duna mission, with a colonization program as the goal), and the Project ZEUS mission (a joint Mechani Space Agency/MoD mission, recently revealed as an orbital bombardment test platform). However, in 2055-2056, a new program known as the Exodus Project was initiated, starting with the construction and launch of the aptly-named Exodus-Class Colony Ship "Exodus Dawn" to Duna, with a massive crew of hundreds of Mechani and Solari astronauts, scientists, engineers, and civilian families. Over time, this program bore fruit in the Mechani colony city of New Carthage on Duna, with its accompanying Solari colony of Duna Prime forming the first offworld holdings for KATO states beyond military installations. The Mechani Union is also a founding member of the Joolian Federation. Culture Mechani culture is heavily biased towards liberal intellectualism, owing to the early Union government's encouraging of scientists, engineers, and academics from other, more-developed nations to immigrate. However, the Union also has a rich traditional culture, derived from the decades-old pre-Union cultures of the previous, failed states in the region from centuries ago. Additionally, much of modern Mechani culture is heavily influenced by the neighboring states of Tekkia and Solaria, and as such public feelings towards those nations is generally amicable. Economy The Union's economy is quite strong, with a heavy emphasis on technology, manufacturing, and services. The national government invests regularly in what it considers breakthrough technologies, and subsidizes some industries needed to keep the country running smoothly. However, hand-in-hand with that, the Union's government is also strict with enforcement of its strong financial and economic regulations, meant to prevent corruption, financial crimes, and manipulation of the market for ill purposes from occurring. Tax evasion is something ill-advised to undertake in the Union... Flag Symbology The Mechani Flag features 3 stars representing the original Triumvirate, primary colors of Red and White to represent the bloody conflict the nation rose above and out of and the following peace, and the 3 dots represent the planet Kerbin and its satellites of the Mun and Minmus.Category:Nations